Eduard Bf-109E 1/48

[Second Air Force]

This rather large package arrived courtesy of our own No.1 (and Eduard, after a fashion) yesterday. A rather impressive box that originally contained two complete Emils, a 1/4 scale instrument panel, and a great looking coffee cup. Srecko is building the instrument panel right now on the Bf-109 GB thread , and drinking from the cup, I reckon . I'll be giving my impressions on building the actual kit here.

Eduard Bf-109E 1/48

This Eduard Bf-109 has been around for a little while so there isn't much new information I can add. It has some beautiful surface detail and looks to be engineered quite carefully. The decal sheet in the Royal Class boxing is simply unbelievable--twelve different aircraft!

More later,
Scott

[No.1]

Good luck

[Dimitris Agios]

Good lucκ from me too!!!

[Second Air Force]

First I reckon I should address head-on one of the issues that has arisen about the new kit--the fuselage length. Before I dive into this, I must disclose that I do not have an accurate 1/48 drawing of the Emil or access to a real one for measurements to be taken. With that being said, I'll compare the three Emils in my collection, the Eduard, Airfix, and Tamiya.

To start I decided to measure each fuselage from the propeller/fuselage bulkhead back to the rudder post. The measurements were (in millimeters): Tamiya=161.96; Airfix=162.27; Eduard=165.59.

My next experiment was to lay all three fuselages side-by-side with the wing roots exactly lined up. The next photos will show the differences. The Tamiya is on top in darker grey, Eduard in center, and Airfix in light blue-grey at bottom. First, the nose, then the tail:

Eduard Bf-109E 1/48

Eduard Bf-109E 1/48

The next idea was to see how the cockpit openings align with regard to the wing position. I simply laid a tube at the kick-up and this is the result:

Eduard Bf-109E 1/48

Eduard Bf-109E 1/48

As you can see, all three line up fairly well with regard to the cockpit opening, with the Airfix kick-up being a tiny bit further aft. Just for fun I installed the Eduard canopy sections onto the two other makes. The Tamiya did not accept the foreign parts, but the Airfix fuselage and Eduard glass worked pretty nicely:

Eduard Bf-109E 1/48

The last comparison was to just tape each half together, first Eduard and Tamiya, the second photo Eduard and Airfix. Note that I didn't spend any extra time lining up the parts except to show the differences in overall length:

Eduard Bf-109E 1/48

Eduard Bf-109E 1/48

Having done all of this comparing and measuring I came to one conclusion:  :-thinkI don't know which of these, if any, is a true 1/48 representation of the Bf-109E. I've built a couple of the Airfix kits and enjoyed them. The Tamiya model looks very nice and I look forward to building it as well. The Eduard that I'm building here has some beautiful detail and delicate moldwork and I'm going to enjoy it, too.

Now I will have to find time to get started on the build...........

[No.1]

Three different worlds!!!

[Second Air Force]

Yes, three for certain! Add the Hasegawa and Academy kits into the mix and I'll bet there are five different worlds!

I also compared the Classic Airframes Bf-109C/D kit in my arsenal and found that the Eduard canopy fits it nicely as well. I didn't bother with the fuselage measuring though.

I like having this kind of problem--three nice kits, each with their own small problems, that end up looking like the real thing at the end of the build.

[draken35]

[Second Air Force]

Before starting the build, here are some pictures of the Royal Class kit. First, the photoetch frets, enough for two models:

Eduard Bf-109E 1/48

A closeup of the instrument panels. Notice the optional lower panel with the center console for bomb/drop tank equipped machines:

Eduard Bf-109E 1/48

Brassin resin wheels. The styrene wheels and tires in the kit are outstanding--these are even better!

Eduard Bf-109E 1/48

A few shots of the trees showing the surface detail and mold quality:

Eduard Bf-109E 1/48

Eduard Bf-109E 1/48

Eduard Bf-109E 1/48

Eduard Bf-109E 1/48

On to construction!

[draken35]

[No.1]

Many parts

[Sall]

Definitely this is great!! You will enjoy!!

[Second Air Force]

Okay, I didn't have much time, or the energy, to work on this during the weekend. I decided not to tackle the cockpit first but built-up the wing instead. The radiators are nearly kits in their own right when using the PE parts--each radiator and housing ends up with eight or nine parts! Also the oil cooler is similar and even has the splitter plate in the outlet that is often neglected on other kits. In addition the wheelwells have separate sidewalls and build up into a very nice representation. Following is a photo of the wing after assembly with the ETC 50 VIII bomb rack in place:

Eduard Bf-109E 1/48

After finishing the wing I offered it up to the taped-together fuselage. The fit is outstanding! Minimal, if any, filler will be needed, even on the underside of the wing/fuselage joint.

Eduard Bf-109E 1/48

[draken35]

Looks nice!

[No.1]

I know you will enjoy in build Have you consider to full built engine and left it open?

[Second Air Force]

Well, I have thought about doing the open engine option on the next one.  This one will be all buttoned up and ready for the flight line.

Scott